Display container



June 17, 19,30. E Y, QRQSSMQRE 1,765,299

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed March 31, 1928 6 5 '2 6 (o INVENToR. I

wa/:f4 .-nmf, 7 BY 7 v 7 ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 17, 1930 ,UNIT-sn fsrA-TjEs EDWARD Y. oRossMoRE, orYoNKnasmEW Yoan, Assienon 'ro nnfrionan nisouir PATENT caries I COMPANY,F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY Application filed March31, 1928. Serial No. 266,212.

This invention relates to .receptacles for holding foods, cakes,confections and, the

like, and more particularly to receptacles of the display type Whichmayy be `placed on store counters, shelves or racks yto display thecontents to customers, While providing convenient access bytheattendant.

General objects of the invention areto provide devices of the typedescribed Which are' neat and compactin form, which vmaybe lreadilyemptied and cleaned, and which may be conveniently positioned on a shelfor store counter to provide large 'capacityL and ,dis-v play per unit ofs acev occupied.

Other objects o' the invention are to provide a device which displaysthe contents eiii'v cicntly and attractively,` While protecting themfrom dust and the loss or takingvup of moisture. y

Another object is to provide a device Awhich may be used as a unit of aseries ofy units, stacked or partially nested adjacent each other, eachunit being provided with means 4whereby ready access may be had theretoand all of its contents removed Without the necessity. of disturbingthestack.

Other obj ects of the invention will in part be obvious and Will in partappear hereinafter.L y

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessingthe fea tures,.properties and the relation of elements Which-Will beexemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the'scope oftheapplication of which will be indicated in the claims. l l l For afuller understanding of1 the nature and objects of the inventionreference'should be had tothe following'detailed description 40 taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is afplan view of one exemplifica* tion ofthe invention`comprising one unit With the lling and emptying opening uncovered;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation lof the unit shown in Fig. 1, parts beingbroken away, with the cover in place in the opening, and with a secondunit ypartially indicated in dotted lines as disposed thereon,

In its general aspects the invention comina preferred form, such as thateXempli-` fied inthe drawings, the device comprises' a receptacle l,Whiclris transparent',throughout, and may be made of glass or othersuitable transparent material. This unit'is generally globular orspherical in form and has a substantially flattened bottom portion Q, .Y

whereby it may rest with stability on` apflat surface, such as acounter, a laterally-.dis posedV filling and emptying opening. 3; ytheside of the container substantially opposed to this opening beingtransparent to display the contents to the customer. As shown', the unitis approximately circular in medial horizontal cross sect-ion, although,vif desired, other modifications in outline may be used Withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention; it being desirable that theinterior be relatively' free from sharp corners, as above indicated.

In order that there may be provided increased capacity and ydisplay ,perunit `of counter or shelf space occupied, and for other purposes, eachunit ,preferablyl is `provided with opposed ,iiattened' portions whichvare transversely disposed with respect to the lateral opening andtransparent portions men'h tioned, and which allow of the unitslbeingplaced more closely vadjacent' to each other than Would be lthe caseifthe ,spherical outline Were continued throughout. These flatse ytenedportions may, as shown, `be character.-

izedv by complementary configurations which are so constructed as toVmate respectively with the opposed portion of another unit,

f I. l

thereby increasing the stability or a. series of units. Also, as shown,these flattened portions may be so designed as to give increasedstrength against breaking, and .one thereof may, if desired, bepositioned at the bott-om of the container Where by it actsasthes'upporting surface for the container when placed on the counter.

More particularly,in the form of device exemplified in the drawings, theflattened p0rtions are disposed at the bottoni and the top of thecontainer. The' bottom flattened portion 2 may comprise an annularrim-portion il, within which the wall of the container is bowed upwardlyslightly as at 5 to give added strength. Externally of the rim-portion4l, and peripherally adjacent thereto, the bottom portion of thereceptacle is formed into a` lateral displacement of the unitswith'respectv to each other. ItV will, be understood, of course, thatthe lrelative radial positions and elevations of the bearing surfacesland 6 and 9 and Vl0 respectively, andthe angular disposition of theshoulders7 and l1, may be varied as desired.

Whether or not the device is provided with opposed flattened portions,such as, for eX- ample, 2 and 8, and, regardless of the circumferentialdisposition thereof, the opening 3 is laterally disposed with respect tothe flattened portion constituting thehottom of the receptacle and ispreferably positioned to# ward the upper portion and above the medialVhorizontal plane ofthe receptacle. ln a preferred form, this Vopening 3is disposed also in a projecting neck-portion l2, which, particularlywhen the receptacle is constructed entirely of glass, may be providedwith a strengthening rim l?, and is provided with a suitable closure,suchV as la, adapted to keep the contents of the unit in the desiredstate ofV humidityand free from dust orthe like.

As will be readily understood from the above, although the Vstackedmembers have been Vindicated in the drawings as being verticallydisposed withrespect to-each other, obviously-the units may beformed sothat they can be laterally disposed, orseparate units may be bothlaterally and'vertically disposed with respect to each other, asdesired, merely by varying the position and/ or number of the' flattenedand opposed portions of complementary configuration without departing`from the spirit of the invention.

Therefore, since certain changes may be made in the above article, anddifferent em bodiments ofthe invention could be made, Without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in thesco-pe of the invention whichY as a matter ofV language might be sai-dto fall therebel'lween. Having described .n1-y invention, what l claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A container unit, comprising a hollow receptacle generally sphericalin form and having its interior relatively free from sharp corners, alaterally-disposed emptying opening disposed Vmainly abovethe medialhorizontal plane ofthe receptacle, and al plurality of opposed flattenedportions disposed transL verselv of said lateral em t in@ oa'eninfr"said portions being complementary in configuration witheach otherwhereby a plurality of said units maybe stacked vertically uponeachother. f

soV

2. A container unit, comprising` a hollow receptacle generally sphericalin forn'nsaid n receptacle having' its top and bottom portionssubstantially flattened Vand being provided with a laterallydisposedemptying opening'7 said flattened portions being formed with bearingsurfaces disposed 'so that the to bearing surface of one unit will matewith the bottom bearing surface of another unit.

receptacle having opposite portions substantially flattenm4L and being`provided withv a laterally-disposed emptying opening, said flattenedportions being formed with 'annular bearing surfaces disposed'so that abearing Y' surface of one unit will mate withl an opposite bearingsurface of another unit.

1l. A container unitl comprising a hollow receptacle generally sphericalin form, said receptacle having its top and' bottom: portionssubstantially nattened and being provided vvith alaterallyflisposedemptying opening, said flattened portions being formedl o. A container unit, comprising a hollow receptacle geiierallyspherical in form, said with bearing surfaces 'disposed on differentplanes with respect to each other, the bear'- ing surfaces of the bottomand top beingcomplementary in coniiguration.l so that the top bearingsurfaces of one unit will mate with the bottom bearing surfaces ofanother unit. Y

5. Akdisplay container unit constructed of transparent material andbeing'hollow and generally spherical in form, said unit having at leasttwo yopposite portionsjsubstan- Y tially flattened and heilig'V providedwith a laterally-disposed emptying opening, said iattened portions beingformed with bearing and intertitting surfaces complementary iiiconfiguration; one of said flattened portions constituting a bottom restfor said unit.

Y receptacle having .its Vtop and bottom por-v 6. A display container,comprising a hollow, generally spherical'receptacle, provided with alaterally-extending neck-portion having a filling and emptying openingdisposed substantially above the medial horizontal plane of thereceptacle, said receptacle having opposed, substantially flattenedportions complementary in configuration, whereby a bearing face isprovided to rest against and laterally interlock with the complementaryface of an adjacent container, said receptacle being adapted to restwith stability on a flat surface and being transparent through theportions surrounding said `flattened portions and said openings.

7. A display container, comprising a hollow receptacle -shaped to avoidinterior corners, having a filling and emptying opening mainly disposedabove the medial horizontal plane of the receptacle, said receptaclehaving opposed substantially flattened portions complementary inconfiguration, whereby a bearing face is provided to rest against andtransversely interlock with the complementary face of an adjacentcontainer; said receptacle being adapted to' rest with stability on afiat surface and being transparent through the portions surrounding saidfla-ttened portions and said openings.

8. A container unit, comprising a hollow receptacle generally sphericalin form, said tionsr substantially Vflattened and being provided with alaterally-disposed emptying opening; said flattened portions beingformed with circumferential bearing surfaces'disposed on differentplanes with respect to each other on each surface, the bearing surfacesof the bottom and top being complementary in configuration-so thatthe'top bearing surfaces of one unit are adapted to mate with the bottombearing surfaces of'another unit. f i

9. A display jar, adapted to be assembled in stacked relation'withsimilar jars, including a substantially spherical body portion flattenedat the poles, a complementary base and seat at opposite poles thereof,and an open-mouthed neck extending outwardly and upwardly from the bodyportion intermediate the poles and permitting access to the bodyinterior. l

10. A display jar, comprising a substantially spherical body portionformed with oppositely disposed complementary portions whereby the jarmay be associated with simi-y lar jars, said complementary portionsincluding interlocking means, and said body being provided with anopening intermediate said complementary portions for affording access tothe interior thereof. l

11. A display jar adapted to be assembled in stacked relation withsimilar jars, comprising a substantially spherical body portion formedwith a supporting base and with

